This was supposedly a true story of a murder that happened in Savannah in the 80’s. A rich, homosexual, antique dealer is accused of killing young Danny Handsford, an employee of his. First of all, I had a real hard time believing this book is actually non-fiction. Secondly, if it was Fiction, it would be terrible. I DID like the information about Savannah and how it related to the rest of the south and the rest of the country for that matter. That was very interesting. I Thought the book tended to be slow in some parts. I thought there were parts of this book that had nothing at all to do with the actual story. Like the Alpha Ball. It was an interesting part of the book but I am sitting here wondering why the author felt the need to put it in. I am glad I read this, but I am also glad I am done.

Quick, rather compulsive, if not entirely satisfying read. There are, as noted by other reviewers, many interesting characters, and the portrait of Savannah is indeed compelling. I found myself wanting to visit. But the "plot" is rather thin, and only about half the book is actually concerned with it. The rest is sort of dressing. I wouldn't characterize the book so much as a mystery but rather as a quirky portrait of a place and its inhabitants, at a specific moment in time, in which the story of a murder is embedded. I ripped through the book in a couple of days, but I'm quite happy to be reposting it, as I certainly wouldn't read it it again.

New Orleans has nothing on Savannah as far as eccentrics go, I liked the minor characters better than I did the main character, although it is a good murder story. (I did keep seeing and hearing Kevin Spacey as I read.)

I really like this story. I have read it several times over the years and bought the movie. It is a true read about murder in Georgia. The book is almost written as a who "dun it" as you won't find out till close to the end, so in this aspect it isn't like alot of the true crime written now. It is sultry crime writing, you can feel the southern heat and hear bits of accent when you read this page turner.

I tried several times to get into this book. It just seemed to ramble and ramble without getting into the plot. I didn't bother even finishing it, after feeling frustrated through the first third.

Prior to visiting Savannah, I read this book. It rocks! When you visit Savannah, you can visit the house and all of the landmarks mentioned in the book. When the movie came out (with Kevin Spacey and John Cusack), I thought, "Oooh, I know it's going to be great." Clint Eastwood, who directed, didn't do the book justice. At least it was shot on location. Too bad there weren't that many location shots.

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It took me a long time to finish this book. I found it easy to put it down, not my type of endorsement for a good read. When I finished the book, only then did I realize it was supposed to be non-fiction. This book reminds me a bit, though not as well done, as a Domminick Dunne book.

Fabulous!

I read this book in an increadably busy time of my life, and found myself loving it and being frustrated by it all at the same time. Great characters, but sometimes the story line was meandering.

This book is wrapped in the history of a old town,
and a murder cover-up. The book's author, John Berendt,
is a reporter from New York that travels to Savannah, Georgia.
It may seem to be a little quiet town but you'd be surprised
what really goes on there.
John observes and mingles with residents of Savannah.
Chacater's range from a rich antique collector to a crazy man
with a deadly poison. Once all chacaters are introduced, a
murder will unfold. you will never guess the outcome of this story.
I would recommend this book to all readers that like a more
difficult text. Also to all that enjoy learning history about a
old and forgotten town. This is a wonderful piece that
will be remembered for many years to come.

This is a dense read at times, but you'll be happy in the end you tackled it.

What a delightful look at Savannah. Reads like a novel. We visited Savannah in March and took one of the "history" tours described in the book. I wish I had read the book before I went. It is funny and exposes the "skeletons" in the closet that the tours try to ignore. A must read if you are headed South.

Nice story - very detailed description of scenic Georgia as well as strange characters

This author is amazing at describing the area (savannah, ga), environment and time. His stories sometimes drag a bit to me though.

Fascinating story that gives one a feel of the atmosphere surrounding the residents of Savannah, Georgia. This was made into a very entertaining movie.

If you have never been to Savannah, Georgia, you need to read this book. Skip the movie; the book tells the tale as only a book can. Makes you want to drop everything and drive to Savannah right now.

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